Burned by matchplay

GOLF: The surprise was that so many people were surprised by events at La Costa last weekend. Paul McGinley, who lost to the eventual champion, Kevin Sutherland, in the second round, took the view that what we saw was simply a reflection of the narrow gap which separates the world's top 64 players these days.

But there was more to it than that. Matchplay over 18 holes is notoriously unpredictable, but it becomes even more so when the venue is of modest character and the greens are of poor quality, as was the case at La Costa.

Any doubts about the vagaries of matchplay sprints - as the 18-hole variety is viewed - can be removed by a study of the Ryder Cup records. Seve Ballesteros was unquestionably the toughest matchplayer of his time, yet he won only two out of eight singles in the biennial showpiece.

Curtis Strange had the competitive steel to capture back-to-back US Open titles, but won only two out of five Ryder Cup singles. And another double major winner, Mark O'Meara, won only one out of five.

So, should the organisers seek another format? The answer to that question rests largely with the sponsors and the TV companies, but McGinley believes it should continue as it is, even though Tiger Woods is the only player in the world's top-10 to have reached the final in its four-year history.

"My ball-striking was good and I played really well against Sutherland, but he just happened to play better on the day," said the Dubliner. "At this level, anybody can beat anybody over 18 holes, but I would still look forward to playing it again next year. And I think most of the players think the same way."

Television will cover it, so long as it's the only game in town and Woods is playing. And the sponsors don't seem to have a problem with a decidedly rum list of champions, barring notable exceptions.

Under the Andersen Consulting banner, Barry Lane was the inaugural champion in 1995. Then Greg Norman was victorious, followed by Colin Montgomerie. In 1999, it became a World Golf Championship event in which Jeff Maggert beat fellow American Andrew Magee in the final at La Costa.

It was only when Darren Clarke beat Woods in the final there a year later that the event seemed to reach the status one associates with prize money of $5 million.

Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington will be the only Irish competitor in the Malaysian Open which starts in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. McGinley heads for the Florida Swing next Monday for three successive events, where he will be joined later on by Clarke.

The Ulsterman's next tournament is the Desert Classic in Dubai on March 7th to 10th, followed by the Qatar Masters, then the Players' Championship at Sawgrass. His Masters build-up continues in the Shell Houston Open and he then takes a week off before heading for Augusta.

Away from La Costa last weekend, Ian Leggatt gained a US Tour breakthrough by capturing the Tuscon Open with a 20-under-par aggregate of 268 - the lowest since David Frost returned 266 in 1988. The Californian (36) finished two strokes clear of Ryder Cup player Loren Roberts and David Peoples.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Leggatt, who carded a final round of 64. "My wife and I are expecting a baby in May and now, with my exempt status, I can maybe take two or three weeks off."

Leggatt's $540,000 first prize was only marginally more than the bonus of $500,000 which Chris DiMarco collected for winning the so-called West Coast Swing. DiMarco clinched it with four top-10 finishes, including victory in the Phoenix Open.

Scott McCarron, runner-up at La Costa, would have edged out DiMarco had he won the matchplay title. Instead, he had to be content with third place and $200,000 behind Jose Maria Olazabal, who claimed the second spot for a reward of $300,000.

With the attention now switching to Florida, Woods will be back in action in this week's $4.7 million Genuity Championship at Doral, where a top prize of $846,000 is on offer. David Duval is also playing, which means it is the first time the pair have played Doral since 1999. A quality line-up also includes Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

At seniors level, Christy O'Connor Jnr has now completed three tournaments in his comeback season, after breaking his left leg 11 months ago. And his progress is being watched with particular interest by friend and golfing colleague, Eamonn Darcy, who will be 50 in August.

A share of 25th place behind Bruce Lietzke in the Audi Senior Classic in Mexico last weekend, brought O'Connor $16,206. Following on a share of 24th place in the Royal Caribbean Classic on February 3rd and tied 51st in the Verizon Classic two weeks later, O'Connor has amassed a tidy $32,913 this month.

With a view to treading the same path, Darcy will return to action in the Desert Classic in which he is exempt as a former winner. He then plans to continue playing the European Tour until August, with the help of some sponsors' invitations.

As it happens, he would have been exempt for the Spanish Open in the Canaries at the end of April, as a former champion. But he is opting instead for the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship at Westport that week.

"I had to miss the championship at Castlerock last October, because I was trying to keep my European Tour card, so I'm looking forward to playing in it once more," said Darcy yesterday.

He went on: "Between my manager, Chubby Chandler, and some contacts in America, I hope to play a few tournaments in the US next autumn. And I will then go to the Tour School over there."

Darcy concluded: "Christy has set a great standard over there for the rest of us. He has proved it is possible to be successful in pretty hot company. My plan is to try and play there for three or four years, which would give me a nice pension."